Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, going to slide six, I'm going to jump into our budget request.
• Again, we don't have a specific budget for outreach and communication.
• Also in the audience is Lori Narvaez, our Budget Director.
• Fiscal Year 2027 budget with that of 2026.
• This is the budget request for the Office of Cybersecurity.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I will—what's the budget bill language does the department need to implement this budget change proposal
• That were adopted in this past budget. Okay.
• The budget included 120... The budget included 120 new positions for the department.
• The governor's proposed budget proposes to spend general fund on The governor's proposed budget proposes
• Great to see that in the budget. We hope it stays.

Summary: The subcommittee heard presentations on the administration’s Proposition 4 spending plans for extreme heat mitigation and outdoor access, then took up SB 54 implementation, SB 707 textile producer responsibility, and recovery needs related to the Los Angeles fires at state parks. For the extreme heat chapter, agencies described funding for the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program, urban greening, urban forestry, fairground upgrades, and technical assistance for community-based climate programs. Witnesses emphasized that these are existing programs with strong demand, that technical assistance is important for reaching disadvantaged and tribal communities, and that the proposed funding would expand outreach and implementation capacity. Members asked for more detail on where funds have gone geographically, examples of successful projects, tree-planting totals, and how fairgrounds could better support fire staging and emergency preparedness. The LAO said the timing of the administration’s proposed funding generally made sense because the programs are already established, and no votes were taken. For outdoor access, State Parks, Fish and Wildlife, and Natural Resources described funding for new parks in underserved communities, deferred maintenance, state lands access, and several new or pending programs. State Parks said the park development program would fund roughly 48 projects and that deferred maintenance funding would address high-priority health, safety, and access needs. Fish and Wildlife said its lands program would improve visitor amenities and access on properties that often lack basic facilities. The Natural Resources Agency also outlined three newer outdoor-access proposals: expanding recreation in disadvantaged communities, enhancing natural resource values and trail access, and a nature/climate/education facilities grant program. The LAO distinguished between existing programs, which are ready to move forward, and the newer proposals, where the Legislature may want more input before funds are allocated. Members also raised concerns about park police vacancies, the need to track outcomes for accessibility investments, and whether Prop. 4 could help with wildfire-related recovery at state parks. CalRecycle then presented on SB 54, the plastics and packaging producer responsibility law, and members pressed hard on the delay in regulations. CalRecycle said it has held workshops, formed an advisory committee, selected the producer responsibility organization, and completed required baseline and covered-material reports, but needs more time to address complex comments and novel features such as source reduction and eco-modulated fees. Members expressed frustration that a statutory deadline was missed and asked for a concrete timeline; CalRecycle said it expects regulations in place by 2026, ahead of the PRO’s January 1, 2027 plan deadline. Finance said the Beverage Container Recycling Fund is currently healthy enough to support short-term loans for implementation. The committee also reviewed SB 707, the textile EPR law, which would create the nation’s first textile producer responsibility program; staff said the proposal would add positions and loan authority, and members noted the statutory deadlines for PRO approval, needs assessment, and later regulations. The hearing ended with discussion of the January Los Angeles fires’ damage to Topanga State Park and Will Rogers State Historic Park, where State Parks described extensive losses, emergency response work, and ongoing damage assessment. Members asked about FEMA eligibility, state funding sources, and community engagement in rebuilding, and the department said it is still assessing costs and will work with the public on reimagining the parks.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of them were included in the budget.
• Many of them were included in the budget.
• Uh the state budget to legislate on.
• </c> their budget uh in the previous cycle. their budget uh in the previous cycle.
• </c><02:36:06.560><c> So</c> used in the state budget. So used in the state budget.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Committee met on October 30 to act on a series of House bills that had been moved during the budget process and, in many cases, were already addressed in the state budget. The chair explained that bills covered by the budget would generally be reported inexpedient to legislate, while some others would be placed on the consent calendar or handled separately. Early votes were largely unanimous, including House Bill 54, which would allow alternate treatment centers to operate for profit; the committee voted 25-0 ought to pass and sent it to the consent calendar. The committee then recommended inexpedient to legislate on House Bill 97, a wastewater and infrastructure appropriation bill, because the funding had been replaced in House Bill 2 with $2.5 million in each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Representative Rum opposed the ITL motion, arguing the projects would otherwise burden local property taxpayers and that the funding was important for housing and municipal infrastructure, but the motion passed 14-11. House Bill 111, dealing with the right-to-know ombudsman, was also reported ITL 14-11 on the grounds that the budget already made significant reforms and separate action could create conflicting statutory language. House Bill 164, creating funding for a local government records manager position in the Secretary of State’s office, received a unanimous amendment appropriating $150,000 for fiscal year 2027 and then passed 25-0 ought to pass as amended, moving to the regular calendar. House Bill 197, the Property Tax Relief Act, drew extended debate over whether restoring a state contribution to retirement system costs would reduce local property taxes; supporters framed it as tax relief for municipalities and school districts, while opponents said the effect would be minimal or offset by other retirement-system changes. The committee ultimately voted 14-11 ITL, with a minority report requested. House Bill 215, requiring landfill permit applicants to submit a report on potential harms and benefits, was amended and then passed 25-0 ought to pass as amended. House Bill 216, which would remove a workers’ compensation-related service-credit limit for certain disability retirement cases, was voted ITL 25-0 after the sponsor said the fiscal impact was too uncertain. Finally, House Bill 219, which would redirect renewable portfolio standard funds and was amended to delay its effective date to July 1, 2027, advanced after debate over electricity costs and renewable energy policy; the committee adopted the amendment unanimously and then voted on the bill as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> ms22 budgets and we do kind of a budget ms22 budgets and we do kind of a budget an<00:21:39.679>
• If you enacted an open warrant, yeah, you would be over budget. It would be a budget control issue.
• If you enacted an open warrant, yeah, you would be over budget. It would be a budget control issue.
• If you enacted an open warrant, yeah, you would be over budget. It would be a budget control issue.
• If you enacted an open warrant, yeah, you would be over budget. It would be a budget control issue.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Education Funding Committee met to review a large package of bills, with the first four—HB 717, 742, 773, and 603—focused on special education aid, formerly called catastrophic aid. Chair Ladin explained that the committee needed to move a special education bill forward by March 4 and was trying to determine which bill would serve as the vehicle. He described the current formula and the difficulty of estimating the fiscal impact of lowering the threshold from 3.5 times the statewide average cost per pupil to a lower level, noting that DOE did not have reliable data on how many students would fall into the lower-cost bands. The committee also noted that several other bills in the package addressed SWEP and adequacy issues, and that HB 510 dealt with due process rather than funding. Mark Mello of the Bureau of School Finance testified that the department only has reliable data for special education expenditures above $70,000 per student, since claims are submitted for reimbursement at that point. He said the bureau was trying to estimate how many students might fall between 2.5x and 3.5x or 3x and 3.5x the average cost, but that the basic answer was they did not know and that any estimate would be difficult. He explained that moving the threshold from 3.5x to 2.5x would create a minimum additional cost of about $13.6 million based on existing claims, not counting new students who would enter the range. Members discussed whether districts already had the underlying data, whether a survey should be required, and how districts know when to begin tracking costs for reimbursement. The committee also discussed proration and the state’s share of special education aid. Mello explained that the current 80% state share is modeled in the formula, but the actual payment has been prorated because appropriations have not matched the statutory liability; he said the state liability was about $50 million, while the budget had provided $34 million, resulting in a 68% payment rate. HB 742 was described as a bill that would eliminate proration by paying the liability directly from the education trust fund with an overflow mechanism. Members also discussed possible alternatives such as changing the state share, using a lower threshold in a transition period, or requiring districts to submit data. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion provided; the committee was still in discussion and considering which bills to advance.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> facility uh we do have in our budget facility uh we do have in our budget under<00:30:12.279><c>
• </c><00:51:44.880><c> item</c> present you presented one budget item present you presented one budget
• It's all budgeted out.
• It is budgeted for just under 100.
• that time, vetoing the budget?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just as importantly, this budget reflects restraint.
• So in closing, this budget reflects careful stewardship of taxpayers, So, in closing, this budget reflects
• budget.
• And that's where the governor's budget comes from.
• Get back to where we're focusing on what's in the budget.

Summary: The Senate reconvened, read committee reports, and assigned House Bill 89 with House Amendment 1 and House Bill 393 with House Amendment 1 to the Senate Finance Committee. It then adopted Consent Calendar 64, which included resolutions recognizing Take Our Children to Work Day, Juneteenth, National Farmers Day, Invisible Disabilities Week, Stonewall Uprising Remembrance Day, National Nonprofit Day, and two property-assessment working group resolutions. The calendar passed by a unanimous roll call, and the chamber heard remarks supporting Juneteenth, Delaware agriculture, invisible disabilities awareness, and the nonprofit sector. The Senate passed the fiscal year 2026 and 2027 revenue estimates in Senate Joint Resolution 16 and Senate Joint Resolution 17, and approved the fiscal year 2027 operating budget in Senate Bill 335 after extended debate on budget growth, recurring costs, health care, education, public safety, retiree obligations, and fiscal restraint. It also passed Senate Bill 336, the one-time supplemental appropriation bill, which includes one-time investments such as a $100 million transition toward a weighted education funding formula, election support, early childhood education, classroom projects, lead remediation, and campaign finance modernization. Several members praised the budget process and staff, while others cautioned against future spending growth. Among policy bills, the Senate passed House Bill 369 to codify the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety, House Bill 268 to increase penalties for assaulting postal workers, House Bill 374 to require workforce reporting on large public works projects, Senate Bill 253 with House Amendment 1 to standardize school bullying parental-notification procedures, Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 342 to modernize the Delaware Motion Picture and Television Development Commission, House Bill 402 to extend Clean Air Act Title V permit fees, and Senate Bill 346 with Senate Amendment 1 to streamline Environmental Appeals Board timelines. The Senate also began consideration of House Bill 293, which would add hate crimes to the Victims’ Compensation Assistance Program, but the transcript cuts off before its vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• I ask your approval of this budget.
• for those particular budgets.
• for those particular budgets.
• So, within the ISP budget, one of the things was that this budget was not actually— we did not take any
• additional cuts from that budget.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The House opened with roll call, prayer, and approval of the journal, then received messages from the Governor and Senate, including notice that the Governor had signed House Bills 512, 518, and 551, and that several Senate measures were transmitted for first reading. Committee reports moved a number of bills and resolutions through the process, including appropriations, business, resources, and judiciary measures, with several bills sent to second reading, general orders, or committee referral. The House also introduced a large batch of new bills covering budget, education, taxation, nicotine products, county law, and other topics. On the floor, the House passed a series of bills, many by wide margins, including code-cleanup and deregulation measures such as House Bills 773, 798, 799, and 1275, as well as policy bills on bankruptcy exemptions (HB 775), podiatry board consolidation (HB 787), interior designer certification (HB 790), daycare licensing cleanup (HB 758), polling place use at schools (HB 831), Medicaid and RESHAB budget reductions and reporting (HB 863), and a rules resolution (HR 26). The House also passed Senate bills dealing with appointed officials (SB 1261), crime-related restitution and publicity rights (SB 1232 as amended), DNA collection for certain misdemeanors (SB 1226), daycare distance rules for sex offenders (SB 1239), a major guardianship and conservatorship rewrite (SB 1240), retirement return-to-work provisions (SB 1276), and a natural resources maintenance budget (SB 1363). The most extended debate came on Senate Concurrent Resolutions 117 and 118 concerning water projects and cloud seeding. Supporters argued the resolutions recognized the importance of managed aquifer recharge, snowpack, and agricultural water supply, while opponents raised concerns about cloud seeding’s health, environmental, and transparency issues and called for more third-party data. Despite that opposition, both resolutions passed. The House also passed SCR 116 on statewide water concerns. The day ended with announcements, committee meeting notices, and a recess, followed by additional committee reports after reconvening.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> go through with their cruel budget go through with their cruel budget plans,<00:04:56.800><c> we
• It is our obligation to pass a biennial budget.
• We uh have uh don't even have budget<00:19:54.080><c> targets.
• But I think what is budget targets.
• We have to have to budget for this. We have to protect<00:20:09.840><c> people.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Fiscal year 27 is the budget we are currently working on, and as you know, we have a three-year budgeting
• , the budget proposal would completely conform with HR1.
• And I know we've gone over this budget before internally in the caucus.
• Is that accommodated for in this budget?
• in this year's budget.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• On summary BT, we align FY27 budget with FY26 actuals. Budget with FY26 actuals.
• A representative said this was in the FY26 budget, or it has been in the budget for—I think it's been
• I would also add, it's a poor timing model, the way our state budget works with school year budgets.
• s budget. Yeah, perhaps.
• Like, this budget, or the budget before us, and even with this amendment, even if this amendment was

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• we budget...
• And I just want to say for the last three capital budget hearings in these last three budget cycles,
• Our total capital budget request is $29.5 million.
• Budget development for FY 28.
• of replacement fund is not in our operating budget. ...is not in our operating budget, and we're asking

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The hearing reconvened with testimony from several agencies on their capital budget requests. The Department of Environmental Services requested a little over $38 million, with major emphasis on dam repairs and design work for aging state-owned dams, including a $5.25 million match for possible FEMA BRIC funding at Pawtuckaway/Tuckaway and other projects such as Milton Three Ponds, Murphy Dam, and Lakeport Gates. DES also requested funding for state revolving loan fund matches, a Superfund match for the Savage Well site, IT and air-monitoring upgrades, and a new $750,000 cybersecurity request for water and wastewater systems. Committee members asked about FEMA eligibility, the distinction between design and construction money, and the timing and risk of banking funds if federal grants do not materialize. The University System of New Hampshire requested $20 million in state support, primarily $15 million for a major Diamond Library renovation at UNH to create a student support hub and reduce/repurpose collection space, plus $2.5 million each for deferred maintenance at Plymouth State and Keene State. The Community College System requested about $16.6 million across seven projects, led by critical maintenance, campus safety/security upgrades, IT infrastructure, parking and site improvements, HVAC replacement at White Mountains Community College in Littleton, a building management/energy system, and modernization of NHTI’s dental clinic and radiology spaces. The Department of Education requested $29.5 million, including a $4.9 million internal management platform to replace paper-based and siloed systems, plus career and technical education capital projects; Milford’s CTE project was described as being revised after repeated failed bond votes, while ConVal said its revised project would focus on modernizing existing CTE space and adding a security vestibule. Fish and Game requested $1.075 million for three facilities: Sewall Falls in Concord, the Lancaster Armory, and the Bunker Lane Barn in Durham, focusing on structural repairs, security, reconfiguration, and in one case replacement of a failing barn with a new 40-by-60 building. The department also said hatchery work is ongoing but that it is taking a cautious approach because of the planned New Hampton Hatchery and future capital needs. The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources requested $9.26 million for eight projects, including campground electrical upgrades at Ellacoya and Lake Francis, White Lake water system replacement, Mount Washington fuel tank and safety work, Odiorne Point visitor center work funded through parks revenue, roofing and parking lot repairs, Fox Forest office safety upgrades, and historic site repairs at White Island and Fort Constitution. Members asked about revenue-based capital, the stability of the parks fund, and flexibility in choosing projects as bids come in. The Department of Transportation began its presentation at the end of the transcript, but its detailed requests were not yet discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Budget Subcommittee Number Two on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy.
• It isn't just whether we're going to be able to have a balanced budget.
• And last year, in last year's budget, we had $3.5 billion included in the budget.
• last year, throwing us into this very confusing and difficult budget quandary.
• Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 2 is adjourned.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• On slide 17, I just want to talk briefly about our budget and the two budget recommendations before you
• I would appreciate additional budget beyond that.
• As Joey said, both budgets are very, very similar.
• It's 70,000 difference on a 400-something million budget.
• It's not part of NPSU's budget.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Good morning, and welcome to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4.
• The budget bill language would require loan authority language.
• The budget included 120 new positions to the department.
• As you know, the governor's budget cuts Round Three of funding.
• It's great to see that in the budget; we hope it stays.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It just makes budgeting difficult.
• Use AI to translate district budget documents and AI to translate district budget documents and other
• budgeting with annual budgeting of the school budgets, they're not confirmed until July.
• But they have to budget based on membership, and then they need to cut the budget based on what might
• the budgeting with annual budgeting of the school budgets, they're not confirmed until July.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Oh, I can't find it in the budget because no ARPA accounts are budgeted, right?
• Oh, I can't find it in the budget because no ARPA accounts are budgeted, right?
• I understand the budget.
• I understand the budget.
• maybe four budgets ago.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Division II work session focused on Fish and Game’s budget-revenue proposals and several statutory changes the department said it needs to support its operations. The department recommended raising the fisheries habitat fee and wildlife habitat fee to $5 each, estimating additional annual revenue of about $640,000 and $144,000 respectively. Members clarified that these are habitat fees added on top of licenses, not reduced by senior or youth license categories, and discussed the need for RSA changes to allow the revenue to be transferred into the Fish and Game Fund. The department also said it would work internally on any broader license fee increases through the commission process. The committee then reviewed proposals to cap several dedicated accounts and transfer excess balances to the unrestricted Fish and Game Fund. Those accounts included the fisheries and wildlife habitat funds and the game management account, with the department proposing a $750,000 cap on each and transfer of amounts above that threshold. The department said the cap was based on several years of expenditures and the fact that dedicated funds are often used as match for federal funds. Members asked for reports on fund activity and questioned whether the cap and mandatory transfer language should be “shall” or “may,” with the department indicating it would prefer “may” for flexibility. The committee also discussed a Pheasant Management Program account, where the department said current law limits use of the money to buying and propagating pheasants and it wants authority to use it for broader program management. A substantial portion of the meeting addressed Fish and Game’s environmental review unit and the transfer of ARPA-funded positions to DEES under the governor’s initiative. The department said four positions are currently ARPA-funded, that DEES supports keeping them in place through the end of the year, and that the transition will require time because environmental review work is intertwined across the agency. The department explained that before the ARPA positions, biologists handled the work and that current staffing has helped eliminate a backlog and meet deadlines. Members also discussed a proposal to expand environmental review fees beyond private developers to state, federal, municipal, and local governments, with the department saying it would need rulemaking and stakeholder input. Additional requests included authority to conduct raffles to raise funds, creation of a revolving account for donations and raffle proceeds, and repeal of the obsolete fish food sales statute because the vending machines are no longer functional and the account generates no revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• And $100,000 today, $1.2 billion budget.
• But, you know, the new budget year begins July 1.
• I understand the difficulty of our budget...
• We will let that go to the budget chair, or the budget director for the department.
• I am the budget director for the Department of Public Safety.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Subcommittee Number One on Education of 2026, where we will take votes that reflect the Senate's budget
• I want to thank the LAO, our nonpartisan budget... ...isn't necessary.
• And I really think that that's what this budget does.
• The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Education is adjourned.
• The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Education is adjourned.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> come in and strictly on a capital budget come in and strictly on a capital budget kind<00:26:51.919
• </c> move forward with a budget. move forward with a budget.
• budget? budget?
• </c><01:06:17.520><c> is</c> potentially say the capital budget is potentially say the capital budget
• </c><01:07:53.920><c> to</c> very hard to cut back the budget to very hard to cut back the budget to

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> when this committee puts its budget when this committee puts its budget together,<00:07:16.400><
• </c><00:07:40.639><c> They're</c> than just lines on a budget. They're than just lines on a budget.
• Um with budget the credit's use.
• And you get rid of it in the budget, and that's the one item I saw that was good in the budget.
• </c> item I saw that was good in the budget. item I saw that was good in the budget.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all